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(27Mar2014 Written by Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the Business Mirror)

MINDANAO, with its
lush forests, clean beaches, waterfalls and waters teeming with colorful
marine life should be a prime tourist destination in the Philippines,
were it not for the decades-long political strife in the region.

With the Bangsamoro
peace agreement now in place, the Department of Tourism (DOT) believes
Mindanao would become a major tourism area, attracting more local and
foreign visitors who will stay longer.

In a text message to
the BusinessMirror, Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. hailed the
signing of the peace pact, saying it will “definitely have a significant
impact on Mindanao tourism. Peace is always the perfect setting for
growth in any region.”

Close to 5 million
tourists visited Mindanao in 2013, up 5 percent from 2012. The largest
chunk of visitors goes to Davao City, where Christians and Muslims have
long been living side by side in peace. Under the peace agreement,
however, the Bangsamoro region will have a separate budget and will have
to formulate its own tourism development plan.

“We will reach out to
them for sure [to help develop their own tourism projects]. But we will
respect their right to initiate their own plans,” Jimenez added.

The rest of the
country’s tourism development areas are grouped under 20 separate
thematic clusters covered by the National Tourism Development Plan. The
NTDP seeks to attract some 10 million foreign visitors and 56 million
domestic tourists to the Philippines by 2016, raise the contribution of
the tourism sector to 8 percent to 10 percent of the gross domestic
product, and directly employ 6.8 million people that will account for 17
percent of total employment.

Separately, Tourism
Assistant Secretary for Mindanao Arturo Boncato Jr. said the signing of
the peace plan “will continue to diminish perceived risks in Mindanao
and will address real issues attributed to peace and development.”

He said there are many
foreign tour operators, in fact, who are keen on arranging more travel
packages to Mindanao. Also, more foreign investors are now casting a
moist eye toward the region.

He narrated that
during a Davao marketing mission in Singapore sometime in 2012, “we were
approached by tour operators citing as a welcome development the
signing of a peace accord in Mindanao. A follow-through activity, led by
the Mindanao Development Authority, in Malaysia in the same year
elicited great interest in Malaysian investment in Mindanao. This was
followed by a business mission to Mindanao in 2013. Similar business
activities have taken a momentum of their own in recent months.”

Boncato said the 20-year-old Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asia Growth Areasubregional
cooperation will even play an more important role in hastening the
tourism development of Bangsamoro and the entire Mindanao region. “The
major pillars are on food security, connectivity [infrastructure and
information and communications technology], tourism and environment.
This year Davao will host the second Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth
Triangle and BIMP-Eaga Trade Fair and Business Conference with BIMP and
Thailand looking closely at Mindanao.”

While the DOT has yet
to pinpoint immediate areas for tourism development in Bangsamoro, “we
have a parallel program to develop a strong halal program in the
Philippines, as well as positioning key sites in the region such as
Tawi-Tawi [Turtle Islands] for the long term,” he stressed.

According to http://tourismarmm.blogspot.com,
some of the interesting tourist sites in the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)—now dubbed the Bangsamoro region—include Punta
Beach,Tumingay Lake and Bogo Diving Spot inMaguindanao;
Lake Lanano, Sumpitan Falls and Barurao Springs in Lanao del Sur; the
Walled City of Jolo, as well as its white beaches, and Jikiri Cave in
Sulu province; the tomb and mosque of Sheik Makhdum, Sibutu Natural
Wildlife Sanctuary and Pearl Farm in Tawi-Tawi; white-sand Beach in
Malamaui Island, Palm Beach and Balagtasan Falls in Basilan.

Although there are three airports that already service the ARMMin Cotobato City, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi, many of these tourist spots are difficult to reach due to the lack of infrastructure.

“We believe that basic
infrastructure development in the area will be prioritized under the
peace pact,” Boncato said. “Nonetheless, we have roads already being
developed in the ARMM under our DOT-DPWH [Department of Public Works and
Highways] Convergence Program.”

Also, many potential
tourists don't feel safe going to these parts of Mindanao due to travel
advisories issued by foreign governments.

The Tourism official
added, as the immediate aim of the Bangsamoro peace pact is to provide
livelihood opportunities to ex-rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front, “involvement in the tourism industry will be received
positively.” The rebels, he said, could be trained to become tourist
guides, for instance. This is not without precedent, ex-rebels of the
Communist New People’s Army are now employed as tour guides in the Bicol
region.

Malamawi Island may not be as enticing in comparison to
other famous beach resorts in Mindanao owing to some security issues,
nonetheless, this shouldn’t hinder anyone from unleashing the beauty that this secluded
island has to offer. Prepare for an out of the ordinary adventure in Basilan,
Isabela and be surprised by its wonderful seascapes.

Panampangan Island, Tawi-Tawi

Photo by Basil Villacortes Sali

Discover the famous crescent-shaped
island in white sand dotted at the municipality of Sapa-Sapa of Tawi-Tawi.
Panampangan Island is well known for beachgoers who take pleasure in
island-hopping and exploring sights that are unspoilt thus also named Virgin
Island.